Voice verification, or speaker verification, technology is typically employed to identify a speaker and is commonly employed to provide security access to buildings or applications. Voice verification technology is a biometric technology that has been developed and utilized for security purposes. The technology is based on the principle that every individual has unique voice characteristics. These unique voice characteristics allow for an identification of an individual based on the evaluation of a spoken phrase.
The technology is commonly employed by way of a user speaking a short phrase into a microphone. The phrase can be a familiar phrase, a password, or even the user's name. The sounds, frequencies, and physical characteristics of the voice track are then measured and determined. These elements are then utilized to establish a voiceprint or voice signature of the user's unique vocal pattern. This process is typically referred to as enrolling. Often the user is required to repeat the phrase several times in order to establish a reliable voice signature. The reliable voice signature is then stored in combination with the user's identity for use in security protocols.
These protocols are commonly referred to as a verification process. During the verification process, the speaker is asked to repeat the same phrase used during the enrolling process. The voice verification technology or algorithm compares the speaker's voice signature to the pre-recorded voice signature established during the enrollment process. The voice verification technology either accepts or rejects the speaker's attempt to verify the established voice signature. If the voice signature is verified, the user is allowed security access. If, however, the voice signature is not verified, the speaker is denied security access.
The aforementioned technology has been directed almost universally to security applications. The underlying principles, however, may be modified to provide a far more extensive field of use. Existing technologies are utilized to verify the identity of the speaker to provide finite user identity verification. An application developed to harness the technology in combination with graduated evaluation techniques would allow the technology to the widely implemented within the entertainment and marketing fields. This could provide large financial incentives to modify existing technologies.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have a voice evaluation system that could provide a graduated comparison of a user's voice to a pre-recorded voice of another such that the quality of a user impersonation could be quantized. Similarly, it would be highly desirable to have such a voice evaluation system that could be implemented within an entertainment application.